When travelling you often wonder how things work. As I waited next to the Totto shop, I was starting to resign myself to the fact that I would be bussing it home and what I would need to do. I wish I had taken a photo of the shop but I was a bit stressed at the time. The young girl called me over and gave me a very hard to read printout on a sheet of low quality paper. I asked if there was anything else to do and she shook her head, smiled and moved on to the next customer.

I had nothing to lose so I took it to the same woman at security who seemed surprised to see me again. She read the paper for a while and then gestured me to go through. Gracias and I was out of there and through security. Phew. I walked to the departure gate and realised I still had enough time for a celebratory expensive airport beer. It turned out to be a double celebration because I tried my dodgy credit card and after a month of trying it actually worked. Maybe I should have asked the young girl in the National Library if she could also sort my credit card. Maybe she did. The paper has magic powers?

The celebration was short lived though when I went to board the plane. They wouldn’t let me board without a passport. I showed them the magic piece of paper but they didn’t except it. She called over a supervisor who took me aside and diligently read the paper and then said ‘all good’ and I was allowed on board. Things can change in an instant. I was very happy when they shut the door and started taxiing away from the terminal.

Back in Cartagena I signed up for another week of school. This time only $320 because I was already tested and enrolled. On the first afternoon I went and started to purchase a motorbike. She said it would take about 10 days. I’ll write a separate blog about all that once I have the bike. I don’t want to jinx myself.

I’m not sure if I mentioned my 45 minute walk to school. Bikepath. Beach. City streets. The Wall. This weeks excursion at school was to lean how to make fried food. We trapesed through Getsemani which is a lovely old part of town and ended up in some woman’s kitchen. She then showed us how to make Arepas. First you grind the maize (corn) and make a paste which is then kneaded into small balls, flattened and then cut to a round shape. Similar to a small fat tortilla. These are then fried in oil for a while and then removed. You then cut a slit in them to make a pocket and add whatever you like, She added a raw egg and then dropped it back in the hot oil for a while. I’ve had numerous versions of these here from street stalls. They cost about $1.20.

She also made Caribanolas which I also like. What I didn’t know was that they are made from mashed yuka, which is a starchy root vegetable like cassava. Similar sort of process to the arepas but you boil the yuka first. Make a ball, shove something in it (this time cheese) and deep fry it.  Same price. I normally have one of each and a coke as my morning brunch. A great option. For a short time! I’m sure they are not a health food.

I enjoy going to the school. It’s social. I learn a bit more spanish. And I get to talk a bit of English in the breaks and after school. Like at a rooftop bar. I’m now officially an A2. Which is above A1(beginner) but a long way from fluency.  But I’m trying. The cartoon is the stage I am up to now.

I’ve mentioned before about the speakers and the music. I took this shot out my window on Sunday morning at 5:45 am. It was one of the many events that they hold on the beach. I have no idea what it was about, but it was loud. And also a couple pics of other random things in or around my apartment

I’m about to leave my cosy seaside villa for my next, cheaper booking. I had booked 4 weeks at this one and about 3 weeks at another Airbnb closer to town but possibly a bit more dodgy area? I decided to wander past my new home yesterday so I know where to go when I’m loaded up with luggage. Well. It took a while but I found the place and compared it to the photo on the website. Same house but it was totally deserted. No curtains and no furniture. Totally empty. A neighbour came over and said it was closed for months? Or something like that. It’s prepaid on Airbnb so it all should be fine. Right?